PERMFILE128955

• Permit No: C1980007
• IBM Index Class Name: Permit File
• Doc Date: 3/4/2002
• Doc Name: USFS Statement of Fact
• Section_Exhibit Name: Exhibit 80 Drilling Activities - MR270
• Media Type: D
• Archive: No

®~~ United States Forest Paonia
`~ Department of Service Ranger District
• Agriculture PHONE NO. 970-527131
File Code: 282Q Date:
Route To: Mountain Coal Thermal Event Drilling Project File
Subject: Statement of Fact
To: Liane Mattson, District Minerals Specialist
I. INTRODUCTION
P.O. Boz 1030
N Rio Grande Ave.
Paonia, CO 81428
FAX [phone]
July 14, 2000

Mountain Coal Company (IvICC) operates the West Elk Mine, an underground coal mining
operation located about 3 miles east of the town of Somerset, Colorado (see Figure 1). MCC has
been operating in the azea since the eazly 1980s, and holds several Federal coal leases, some of
which encompass lands administered by the USDA-Forest Service, Grand Mesa-Uncompahgre-
Gunnison National Forest (GMUG). Underground workings of the West Ells Mine have extended
under the National Forest land on some of their Federal leases.
On January 28, 2000, routine air quality monitoring at the mine fan showed elevated levels of
mine gases that indicated that a combustion event or mine fire was occurring. The Mining
Safety and Health Administration (MSHA) ordered the mine to cease operations and restricted
• personnel from entering the mine. MSHA termed the situation a "thermal event", and instructed
MCC to proceed with assessing [he cause of the elevated gas readings.
As MSHA would not allow personnel into the mine, MCC proposed to evaluate the problem by
drilling boreholes from the surface into the underground mine workings. The workings in which
the thermal event was thought to have originated is overlain by National Forest System Lands
(NFSL) on the Paonia Ranger District of the GMUG. MCCs intent was to evaluate the problem
and remedy the situation, so that remaining coal resources would be preserved and the mine
would resume operations with minimal loss of capital. MCC requested authorization from the
Forest Service to access the land overlying the location of the thermal event to drill boreholes
into the underground mine workings.
II. PROJECT LOCATION
The lands overlying the thermal event azea are located in the Nl/2, Section 29, T 13 S, R 90 W.
III. ACTION AND NEED FOR ACTION
MCC informed the Paonia District Ranger of the thermal event on February 2, 2000. At that
time, they requested permission to access the surface above the location of the thermal event in
order to undertake a drilling program to construct boreholes into the mine workings. MCC
required immediate access to the azea in order to begin evaluating the source and cause of the
• thermal event. Considering that this was an emergency situation, permission was granted which
Caring for [he Land and Serving People Pnnletl an RerydeO Paper~~